Corn to Run Sept. 27, Dogfish Dash Sept. 28 set up busy fall weekend
East Coast Landscaping in Millsboro just off Route 24 will be the site of the third annual Corn to Run 5K Saturday, Sept. 27, with a 9 a.m. start. This year the event will race through the beans, as that is what was planted in the fields. Next year it could be a tomato run! The race, which attracted 123 in year one and had 162 finishers last year, kicks off the fall festival which approximately 1,000 people attended last year.
Plenty of food, games, contests, dancing, demonstrations and more will highlight the day. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in 10-year age groups along with special awards to the overall and masters finishers. Several runners come in costume, and the talk in the running world has been about which bean to represent - green, lima, pinto, jelly or string, and the always deadly baked beans.
East Coast does a first-class job, and it should be a fun morning.
Registration for walk-ups will begin at 7:30 a.m. See you at the start - bean there - done that!
Dogfish Dash tackles Milton
The ninth annual Dogfish Dash 5K and 10K races, raising funds for the Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, will host 2,130 runners and walkers through the streets of Milton beginning at 9 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 28. Event registration is closed, but homeowners and visitors are encouraged to line the streets of Chestnut, Union, Bay and Atlantic to cheer on participants in the event. A total of $204,600 has been raised for The Nature Conservancy, and $51,600 was presented in 2013.
A mandatory packet pickup will be held Saturday afternoon at Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach, where participants can pick up race bibs and T-shirts.
The dash sold out in 18 minutes this past April.
Tri-Month
Two weeks ago I reported the successful 16th annual Dewey Triathlon at Tower Road in which just over 600 athletes took part. Last Saturday night at 8 p.m., a police cruiser rode up and down Garfield Avenue in Bethany Beach announcing on its loudspeaker that at least 40 cars needed to be moved immediately or they would be towed.
As I watched, car owners ran from businesses along the strip with keys in their hands.
The town was getting ready to be shut down to set up for the third Bethany Beach Triathlon.
By midnight, the town was asleep, and transition was set up for just under 1,000 bikes that would be moving in at 5 a.m. I was in charge of the run portion of the event, on the beach for the duathlon, and in South Bethany for the triathlon, for which my crew finished setting up just before 1 a.m. A few hours of shuteye in the headquarters trailer, and the event was in full swing by 6.
Several locals took part and others volunteered at the event.
Beyond several flat tires on the bike course, the event went flawlessly. The September 2015 calendar is short a weekend, so stay tuned as visiting triathletes may be able to get a more intense workout with a double dose of the tri sport in Dewey and Bethany on the same weekend.
Cross country edge
On Sept. 23, senior Sam Hete, or 'Sam Heat' as most meet directors incorrectly call him, ran 16:36 to tie the Sussex Tech cross country school record on the 3.1-mile Brecknock Park course. It was not enough, as the Riders put four in the top six, led by No. 2 finisher Nate Twining, to edge the Sussex Tech Ravens by a close score of 25-30. Sophomore Ben Bamforth was fourth to tie his personal best of 17:33, while Jay Hinds ran his personal best to take seventh in 18:05. Ian Carlisle ran 18:18, and Robbie Westoff ran 18:31 for eighth and 10th in the race for the Ravens.
On the girls' side, the Riders, led by Rebecca Mills and her 19:00 win, easily topped the Ravens 18-44; however, Raven Roxy Ramirez was able to take third in a new personal best of 19:43. Natasha Taylor managed to grab eighth overall, but the Riders dominated with eight in the top 10.
Sussex Tech hosts Smyrna at home Monday, Sept. 29.
Upcoming races
9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, Third Annual Corn to Run 5K Run & Walk, Millsboro, www.seashorestriders.com.
5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, Dolphin Dash 5K for Betty Gooch, Shields Elementary School, Lewes, www.seashorestriders.com.
Noon, Saturday, Oct. 4, Fourth Dewey Goes Pink at the Starboard 5K, Dewey Beach, races2run.com.
10 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 5, First Haslup Hustle 5K, 10K, & 1 Mile Family Fun Run, Easton, Md.
Saturday, Oct. 11 - 4th Raven Classic XC 5K and Youth 2K Open Kids' Championship, Sussex Tech HS, Georgetown.
Sunday, Oct. 12 - Greene Turtle 5K, Rehoboth Beach, races2run.com Saturday, Oct. 18 - Inaugural Herring Point 5K & 10K Classic, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes.
